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''Hello. My name is Harlan Ellison and I am a writer."''|Introductory paragraphs of Ellison's first ''An Edge In My Voice'' column}}
 
Harlan Ellison® (yes, he's [[Disney Owns This Trope|made his own name a registered trademark]]) is a famously grumpy [[Berserk Button|science fiction wri-]] erm, that is, [[Insistent Terminology|writer]]. His work has won eight and a half Hugo Awards, three Nebula Awards (plus a lifetime achievement award), five Bram Stoker Awards (including a lifetime achievement award), two Edgar Awards, and four Writers Guild of America Awards for Most Outstanding Teleplay -- moreTeleplay—more awards than almost any other living writer -- butwriter—but it's his personality that everybody remembers about him. [[Jerkass|For some reason.]]
 
He suffered ''severe'' [[Internet Backdraft]] when he groped [[Connie Willis]] in public, which many fans consider his [[Moral Event Horizon]].<ref>Or, to [[Broken Base|many of his fans]], a ''serious'' [[What the Hell, Hero?]], considering his well-known [[Hypocritical Humor|loathing of sexists]]; Ellison himself has described it as [[Dude, Not Funny|a failed attempt]] to [[Crosses the Line Twice|cross the line twice]].</ref>
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* People who ask him when ''[[The Last Dangerous Visions]]'' is going to be published.
* Similarities between his ''[[Outer Limits]]'' episodes and the film ''[[Terminator]]'', which led to a lawsuit and a credit for him in subsequent releases of the movie.
* The changes made to his script for "The City on the Edge of Forever" before it was filmed. It's worth remembering that his original version of the script won him one of his Writers Guild of America Awards -- butAwards—but on the other hand, it was the final broadcast version of the episode that won the Hugo. (It's also been suggested that his version of the episode, had it been filmed, would have murdered the budget and then been murdered in turn by [[Media Watchdog|Standards and Practices]].)
** [[William Shatner]] said he attempted to talk to Ellison during the ordeal to try and calm things down. According to Shatner, Ellison responded by yelling at him.
** Apparently Paramount has taken the tactic of declaring most, if not all, elements of the story off-limits for the [[Expanded Universe]] after Ellison sued them (and the Writers Guild of America) for 25% of the royalties for every time they were used from 1967-2009. Paramount settled out of court.
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* Racism, as best illustrated in "From Alabamy, With Hate".
* [[wikipedia:Godelchr(27)s incompleteness theorem|Anything not on this list.]]
* The longtime blackballing of A.E. van Vogt for the SFWA Grand Master Award. <ref>Which he finally received in 1995, largely due to Ellison's efforts.</ref>
* [[Small Reference Pools|Cultural illiteracy.]]
* Snopes.
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* [http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mj5IV23g-fE Attempts to persuade him that he should do something for free] that he feels entitled to be paid for.
 
Harlan Ellison isn't really grumpy all the time, and he does have friends, and there are also stories demonstrating that he's [[Jerk with a Heart of Gold|capable of being a wonderful human being]]. He also appeared as a [[Self-Parody|grumpy caricature]] of himself in [[Scooby Doo Mystery Inc]], giving a lecture that concluded "...and that's why nothing good has been written since the 1970s". The stories about Grumpy Harlan Ellison are a lot funnier, though (example: allegedly once mailing an executive roadkill -- ''fourth class'' -- along—along with a recipe for gopher stew).
 
For an in-depth look at the man's genius, madness, and general [[Jerkass|assholery]], check out the documentary on his life and career: ''[http://hotdocsaudience.bside.com/2008/films/dreamswithsharpteeth_hotdocs2008 Dreams with Sharp Teeth]''. The film features commentary by [[Robin Williams]], [[Neil Gaiman]], [[Battlestar Galactica Reimagined|Ronald D. Moore]] and others who have known, worked with, or have been influenced by Ellison and his writings.
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* [[And I Must Scream]]
 
{{examples|Works by [[Harlan Ellison]] with their own trope pages include:}}
* "[[A Boy and His Dog]]"
* ''[[Dangerous Visions]]'' and ''[[Again, Dangerous Visions]]''
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* ''[[Spider Kiss]]''
 
{{examples|Other works by [[Harlan Ellison]] provide examples of:}}
* [[Adam and Eve Plot]] (parodied)
* [[The Atoner]]: "With Virgil Oddum At The East Pole"
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** He wrote a whole collection - ''Deathbird Stories''- around this trope.
* [[Grand Theft Me]]: "Mefisto In Onyx". ({{spoiler|But [[Good Is Not Nice|done by the protagonist]].}})
* [[Humans Are Bastardsthe Real Monsters]]/[[Humans Are Morons]]
* [[In Medias Res]]
* [[Jewish Mother]]: Taken to a horrifying extreme in "Mom" - the titular mother comes back as a disembodied voice after she dies just so she can continue nagging her son.
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